At 12:02 AM 1/15/2004 -0500, wheelman@nac.net ushered forth:
> I was
>also advised that one most likely cause is the tendency towards building
>frames with a one meter wheel base. I am not sure about that. I saw some
>comments that a large frame bike with a high seat is one probable cause. I
>am not so sure about that either.
Based on Chuck Schmidt's excellent explanation, my assumption would be that both of those items have an effect on the speed at which shimmy occurs. It may also be that larger frames have the potential to shimmy more violently than smaller frames.
It might be elucidating to put together a matrix of variables and shimmy speeds/degrees, to see if any AH-HA! items pop out of it.
rgds, Dave Baseley Looking out at the snow-covered roads in Berks County PA and wishing they were clear, so he could go out and ride his Cinelli -- 57cm, SLX tubing, shimmies mildly during hands-off riding on smooth roads at roughly 18mph